Escanaba Upper Elementary Principal Craig LeClaire highlighted the school's focus on promoting social skills and mental health among students at the Escanaba School Board's meeting Monday. (Sophie Vogelmann | Daily Press)

ESCANABA – A steady decline in discipline referrals and a growing emphasis on student mental health were highlighted at Monday’s meeting of the Escanaba School Board, where members heard a detailed report on updates and initiates at the Escanaba Upper Elementary from Principal Craig LeClaire.

LeClaire’s presentation outlined current staffing levels, student proficiency data and the school’s efforts to prioritize the development of social-emotional skills amongst students.

One of the clearest indicators of the school’s expanded focus on mental health and behavioral support is a sharp decline in office discipline referrals, which have dropped from 337 referrals in the 2022-23 academic year to 116 this year.

That shift, LeClaire said, reflects a deliberate move away from reacting to misbehavior and toward preventing it in the first place.

“We need to be in there before anything happens to let [students] know that they’re cared for, that their needs are met. So, my math said to improve mental health and clear up behavior expectations equals academic success.”

The school administers the Social-Emotional Competency Assessment (SECA), developed by the Washoe County School District in collaboration with other educational partners. Students complete the assessment three times a year, allowing the district to evaluate key social-emotional skills such as self-awareness, self-management and relationship-building.

LeClaire further added, “It’s easy to see the kid who’s yelling and screaming because he’s upset. But the ones who internalize that really struggle, they can’t focus to learn because they’re worried about… they have anxiety or depression, home life issues.”

Staff members then gather to analyze the data, contact certain parents and check in with teachers of the students needing assistance.

Additionally, the school incorporates daily social-emotional lessons, peer mentoring and counseling services to support students.

LeClaire also highlighted the therapy services students are receiving at the Upper Elementary. Through Michigan’s Section 31n grant program, licensed behavioral health providers work directly with students in six-week rotations of 30-minute sessions.

“We’ve seen great gains,” LeClaire said. “Some of those office behavior referrals from the beginning of the year, we got them into 31n counseling, and those students are some of the best behaved students.”

Peer mentoring is major cornerstone of the school’s approach to better students’ mental health and social skills. Forty-nine fifth graders are paired with 40 third graders and eight fourth graders, who are identified by teachers as needing additional support in social skills, confidence or self-esteem. The groups meet twice a week during breakfast for structured activities, LeClaire said.

LeClaire then spotlighted Paula’s Pantry, created in memory of Paula Morrison, who was a long-time social worker at the school. The initiative was launched by Melissa Bonifas-Ness and Linda Beauchamp.

“We realized there wasn’t a food source at the [Upper Elementary], so I said ‘My friend Paula, she would not like that,'” Bonifas-Ness told the board.

The pantry provides easy-to-prepare meal kits designed to feed four to six people. There are no income requirements or limits, and teachers can send kits home with students as needed.

“The goal is to have readily available meals that a 3-5th grader can carry home on the bus and that are quickly and easily accessed by a teacher,” LeClaire wrote in his presentation.

Bonifas-Ness initially contributed $1,000 to launch the pantry. Ongoing support now comes from local groups including the Community Foundation and Delta County Communities That Care.

In other news, the board:

– Approved a $1,616,330 bid from Prime Mechanical for the Upper Elementary’s HVAC mechanical systems and all associated work.

– Approved a $407,186 bid from Energy Control & Design (EC&D) for the Upper Elementary’s Siemens controls and associated controls work.

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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.